It ends…

SPOILER WARNING, OK? YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED….I know this season has drawn a great deal of criticism. But I’m with Stephen King – in my opinion, it’s been fantastic.

Fantastic to see the characters and locations again.Fantastic to have their stories continue and wind up. The acting is superb, thecinematography sublime.

Yes, I acknowledge there’s been some jarring parts. I really thought that dragon joy-ride by Jon Snow was unnecessary and silly. I mean, the White Walkers were coming, ffs! I also did not think it necessary that Jon ride Rhaegal in that battle. The vision of the dragon fight was too unclear. I am really hoping there is a satisfactory outcome to the whole Jon-ignoring-Ghost thing because that was completely out of character. Tyrion betraying Varys at the end – what the?

Drogon on a rampage

I was talking about the season with my brother yesterday and we figured out a reason why the season does appear shallow – in past seasons there were, for want of a better term, “scene switch backs” – the story would cut back, say, from Essos where Dany was to Kings Landing to show us what was happening there. There’s been none of that in this series. So I’m finding myself at the present time for example wondering – what’s happening at Winterfell? What’s Yara doing? What’s the situation in Meereen and Dorne? Is Sam going to go back to Horn Hill and be Lord? What about the Citadel? What are Robin of Arryn and Gendry doing? Yes, keeping the viewer in the loop where these characters and places are concerned may well have given us eight or nine episodes but at least the progression in the story would seem more real and have more depth and be more satisfying to some viewers.

The above all sounds like I don’t think the season is fantastic at all, but that’s not the case. I love it. I’ve watched each episode maybe four times. Arya destroying the Night King was perfect. Unlike many, I believe Dany turning mad was always going to happen. I personally have seen it from the start. I’ve never trusted her. Those that don’t believe it need to go back and re-watch the show.

Very Mad

Some of the criticism I’m reading is frankly stupid. I read one criticism from a well-known online women’s forum about the show buying into the “bro-code”. What a giant yawn. If there is one thing I can’t stand is gratuitous feminist anti-male trumpeting (and believe me, I’m the first to jump on misogyny or sexism if I see it). The most successful characters in the show are female, ffs. And like I said above, if you don’t think Dany was ever going to go mad, you haven’t been watching the show properly.

EDITED TO ADD MY PREDICTIONS 3.5 hours before the last episode:

So I’ve put in a fair bit of reflection on this and this is what I think will happen in s broad brush sense:

1. Arya will kill Dany wearing Jon’s face. This is after she overhears Tyrion telling Jon that Dany will destroy her family.

2. Jon is imprisoned by Grey Worm and the Unsullied (Jon takes rap for Arya because he figures out what she did)

3. Meanwhile there is an election and Bran is elected king and appoints Tyrion as his hand. It’s all very democratic because all the Lords/Princes etc of Westeros are there including Yara, Robin of Arryn, new Prince of Dorne, Sansa, Sam, Gendry etc

4. They decide to send Jon to the Wall to take the black. He ends up going true North with Tormund and is united with Ghost.

5. Sansa is Queen of the north

6. Arya sails off to see what’s West of Westeros. I’d like to think she is with Nymeria but I expect “that’s not her”.

So let’s see if I’m right!

Anyway, I’m looking forward to the final episode but am also going to be quite sad. End of an era. The good thing thoughis that I can always watch it again! And maybe now I will read the books.